Prom is typically held near the end of the school year and is a dance party for high school students. In most American high schools, prom is a rite of passage reserved for juniors and seniors, meaning students are typically in the 11th or 12th grade and around 16-18 years old when they attend prom. However, some schools may have specific guidelines or restrictions for younger students attending these dances. In some schools, there may be individual junior (11th grade) and senior (12th grade) proms or they may be combined. Conversely, if a high school has separate dances for juniors and seniors, the term "prom" is reserved for the juniors, and the dance for the seniors is called a "graduation ball" (often abbreviated as "grad ball" or simply "ball").